Deserttown
by SwimmerNinja13
Summary: When Jay and Nya accidentally discover an underground crime syndicate operating in the sea of sand, Jay realises the people he's known all his life may not be who they seem. To make matters worse, the group may be looking for a relic that could unleash an evil neither Jay or Nya wanted to see again.
1. And So Our Adventure Begins

**Hey everyone! I should really be working on my current stories, but I was rewatching psych episodes the other day, and this idea came into my head. It's loosely based off of the episodes santabarbratown parts one and two (hence the title) if you're a fan of the show, but only a few plot points are the same. Anyway, please enjoy!**

2002,_ Ed and Edna's Scrap and Junk:_

Eight year old Jay dug through the kitchen cabinet of his family's rv looking for a snack. Unfortunately their tiny living space was so outrageously disorganized that he didn't find any food. It was probably in the tool box. Jay could always count on finding fruit snacks in there.

What he did find was his father's welding mask (which made sense considering the soup cans usually ended up with Ed's welding tools. Jay slid it over his face and turned towards the mirror. Someday he wanted to be an inventor like his father... only better. He didn't want to have to be involved in the scrap business as a side job to make ends meet.

Jay pulled the mask off and picked up a picture which sat on the counter of Ed and with his three scrap business coworkers: Garry, Al, and Poe. Jay knew that these men were like brothers to Ed. He even referred to them as his uncles when they visited the junkyard. Maybe having a team like that wouldn't be so bad, people he could trust. Jay set the picture down and looked to the future with sheer optimism.

_Present Day, the monastery:_

"Ugh! Chore days are the worst!" Jay groaned. He slid a feather duster across the top of Wu's bookshelf and coughed on the dust stirring in the air.

"Agreed," Nya sighed as she swept the floor in the room they were both cleaning, "You'd think Master Wu would at least have the common decency to schedule chore day and sunrise exercise on different days."

"Less chit chat, more working!" Zane grunted as he went flying past the couple with the toilet brush and a bottle of Clorox.

"What's got his britches in a bunch?" Jay asked.

Nya leaned in closer to Jay and whispered, "Pixal and I were talking last night; she thinks Zane's going to ask her to be his yang tonight. He's probably just nervous."

"I didn't know that, he hasn't said anything, at least to Kai or else the whole monastery would know by now," Jay replied.

"What?"

"When I asked your brother for help planning, he kept blabbing about it to just about everyone who would listen. Even the mailman knew! I thought for sure Kai was going to tell you before I got the chance to ask you," Jay laughed.

"He didn't," Nya replied, "But he did start asking oddly specific questions about our relationship. Honestly, I'm not sure how I didn't figure it out."

Jay's phone began buzzing in his pocket, "Hold that thought, my dad's calling me... Hey, Dad! What's up?"

Nya returned to sweeping as Jay talked to Ed, half listening to Jay's side of the conversation, half thinking. She was glad she hadn't figured out that Jay was going to propose. The surprise made it all better. Their official yin-yang ceremony was in a week almost. It would be a quiet celebration with the team and their parents, a reminder that while they weren't quite old enough for marriage yet, they were pledging to keep going steady together until that day.

Jay pulled the phone away from his face, "Hey, Nya, want to go to my parents' for dinner tonight?"

Nya nodded, "That sounds great!"

"Great," Jay said, bringing the phone back to his ear, "We'll be there around five thirty."

(Time skip)

"Ma! Dad! We're here!" Jay shouted as he and Nya entered the scrap yard.

Oddly, the rv seemed to be deserted, which chapter set Jay on edge. He always assumed the worst when his parents didn't respond right away.

"Over here, son!" Ed called from behind a pile of assorted bike parts.

Jay and Nya walked around the pile and found Ed and Edna with another man about their age.

"Uncle Al?" Jay asked.

"Jay! Long time no see!" The man, Al pulled Jay into a hug, patting him on the back.

"This is certainly a surprise!" Jay laughed as Al let go.

"Yeah, well your parents here were helping me find a part I need to finish a vehicle. Your Aunt Suzzie and I searched our entire scrap yard and couldn't find a single thingamawhatsit!"

Jay turned to Nya, "Nya, this is my Uncle Al. He's not actually my uncle, but he works with my parents, and he's over here all the time."

"Nice to meet you," Nya grinned as she shook Al's hand.

"You must be the girl Ed and Edna say stole Jay's heart."

"Did Jay tell you that their yin-yang ceremony is next week?" Edna chimed.

"That serious, huh?" All raised an eyebrow.

"They grow up too fast," Ed sighed.

"Before you know it, you'll have grandkids running around this place. My little grand daughter is three already. She's just the greatest thing that's happened to Suzzie and I since we had Carter."

"Well, I'm sorry we couldn't find that part, Al," Ed said, shaking Al's hand, We'll look more tomorrow, but I figure we should probably go eat dinner with these kids before they finish growing up on us."

"Okay, take care, guys," Al replied, "Nya, it was nice meeting you."

Al left, and the four of them made their way back to the rv where the smell of Edna's pot pie in the oven filled the surrounding atmosphere.

"So, how are Uncle Poe and Uncle Garry doing? I haven't heard from them since moving out," Jay asked as everyone sat down.

"Poe's passed on sadly. Garry actually retired," Ed replied.

"He moved up to Hopeful Lane in Ninjago City," Edna added as she set the pot pie on a pot holder, "We don't see him much more now."

"I know where that is," Jay replied as he and Nya shared an all too knowing look.

"Well, I'd say retirement is treating Garry pretty decently," Edna remarked, "It was surprising to everyone, the scrap business is ruthless, nobody would've thought he could afford a place up there."

"He must've invested or something," Ed concluded, "Now, can we start eating? That pot pie isn't going to stay hot forever!"

(Time skip)

Nya awoke the next morning and slid into her bathrobe. The guys all enjoyed sleeping in, so Nya and Pixal often used the early hours for much needed girl talk. Wu usually was outdoors meditating, so the two best friends had the monastery to themselves.

Pixal was already waiting when Nya opened her door, "Good morning," Pixal said wearily as the girls made their way down the hall towards the kitchen.

"I take it the date last night didn't go too well?" Nya guessed as the girls entered the kitchen. Nya started a pot of tea for them. Neither girl drank caffeine, but both enjoyed peppermint herbal tea in the morning, almost to the point that together they could beat Wu at daily tea intake, as if anyone was keeping track, which they were.

"It went terribly," Pixal sighed, "Zane kept acting distracted like he was mad at me or something, but I do not know what I did!"

"As, I'm sorry, Pix," Nya frowned and put her hand on Pixal's shoulder, "I'm sure it wasn't anything you did. Maybe Zane just..." she trailed off trying to grasp at some reason, any reason why Zane would be acting so off, but she couldn't figure anything. Zane was never like that. His behavior just didn't make sense. Discouraged at her inability to console her friend, she picked up the teapot and began pouring two cups.

Pixal picked up her cup, "I was wrong in my prediction that Zane was going to ask me to be his yang," she sighed, "I cannot believe I got my hopes up. Perhaps I was so caught up in the preparation for yours and Jay's yin-yang ceremony that I wanted the same for Zane and myself."

"Pix, don't beat yourself up about this! Zane will ask you in due time," Nya smiled, a lightbulb going off in her head, "Maybe the reason Zane was acting so off was because he was going to ask you but got too nervous?"

"That would be so sweet!" Pixal determined, "Let us hope that is the case!"

The girls made their way into the courtyard. Wu had left the newspaper that had already been dropped off by the main door when he left to meditate. Nya picked it up and began reading the headlines, "Uh-oh," she frowned.

"What is it?" Pixal asked, leaning over Nya's shoulder to see what she was reading.

"Sorry to cut girl time short, but I really need to show this to Jay!" Nya said frantically before racing back inside leaving Pixal alone both confused and surprised.

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter. More will be up soon. Sorry to leave everyone on a cliffhanger right off the bat, but I can't help myself.**

**Now for some general updates:**

**Number one: This summer I'll mainly be focusing on this story and Forever By Your Side (and possibly my Oneshot collection when the mood strikes). There's no real update schedule (as ya'll already know), and then when I start college I really have no idea when I'll update, but I still hope to keep doing so. This summer I plan to keep writing while I have time and take advantage of little responsibilities.**

**Number two: I'm sorry if anyone found the fact that Ed's coworkers names are Garry, Al, and Poe a really cheesy play on words. This was actually first done in a Series Of Unfortunate Events, and I loved those books as a kid, so I had to take the opportunity to make that reference.**

**Number three: Theory time! Since the yang thing last season was never fully explained, I took the liberty to come up with a meaning for it myself, here it is. Some teens who are in long term relationships will make the yin-yang promise. It's basically a pledge to keep going and staying pure until they're older and get married. It basically would be like a really small ceremony with parents, siblings, and maybe a few really close friends (in this case the ninja team), where participants make their pledges, a pastor reads a few passages, and everyone prays for the couple together. Then they'd be cake afterwards (of course!). Let me know what you think of the theory, and I'm interested to hear others takes on this.**

**That's all for now! I hope you all have a great day. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all soon!**

**#God's Not Dead!**


	2. You Think You Know A Guy

**Hey everyone! Sorry this update took so long. I meant to put it up before I left for camp, but that obviously didn't happen. Anyway, I'm back now, so here's the next installment. Enjoy!**

**PrismaPup7: Thanks for the long review. I'm glad you like it. You'll find out about the newspaper, and yes, that would be cute to see!**

**BlueJ: Thanks. It seemed fitting that the two of them would need a little girl time, so I made it happen.**

"Jay?" Nya said frantically as she knocked on her yin's door, "Are you up?"

"I am now," Jay yawned as he wearily swung open the door. He had sleep- tussled hair and an overall tired expression, explainable since the master of lightning never got out of bed until eight, closer to nine on weekends, "It's like six thirty. What are you doing up?"

"I'm always up this early," Nya shrugged in reply, "Anyway, you need to see this newspaper headline," Nya held out the newspaper for him.

Jay took it while rubbing the sleep from eyes, "Okay?" He yawned again.

_Man Abducted by Illegal Underground Scrap Trade Members_

Below the headline was a picture of a man beaten and laying in the sand unconscious. The article detailed that the man was now in the hospital, but overall was pretty vague.

"That's Uncle Al," Jay breathed in disbelief, "How?... Why?... I mean, he was fine yesterday! What happened? We all knew that illegal scrap trades existed, but they don't just go around attacking people without reason?"

"I'm sorry, Jay," Nya sighed, wrapping an arm around Jay, "Your Uncle Al said he was looking for a thingamawhatsit, what if he needed it because he's somehow entangled with the underground scrap trade?" she asked.

"He wouldn't be!" Jay insisted, "I've known him my whole life... I need to get to my parents, see if they know anything. This just doesn't make sense!"

"I'll come with you," Nya stated, "You look like you could use the company."

(Time skip)

Jay and Nya pulled up at Ed and Edna's and rushed to knock on the rv door. Edna answered, a worried expression forming in her eyes upon seeing Jay and Nya out of breath and frantic.

"Is something wrong?"

"Have you seen the news this morning yet?" Jay panted as he and Nya climbed the step into the rv. The scent of coffee and homemade cinnamon rolls wafted from the kitchen. Any other time, the scent would've felt welcoming to Jay, but this time, the sugary sweet batter baking and vanilla roast made him sick to his stomach.

"Well, Ed just turned it on," Edna replied, confused.

"Edna, you need to come here!" Ed ushered her over to the couch where he had been sitting, drinking coffee, and watching the tv.

Jay and Nya followed behind, horrified as much more graphic images than what was printed in the newspaper flashed across the screen.

"I... I need to call Suzzie," Edna stuttered. Her face turned pale, and she staggered into her bedroom, hands shaking, wearing a look suggesting she might pass out, or throw up, or both.

"Is this what you came here about?" Ed asked.

Jay nodded, "Nya saw it in the newspaper this morning," he answered.

The next few moments were agonizing, as Ed, Jay, and Nya remained in a gloomy silence awaiting Edna's return.

"Let me check on your mother," Ed said, after deciding it had been far too long. He rose from the couch and made his way into the bedroom.

Jay stared drowsily at the floor, memorizing the swirls and shapes in the linoleum. Nya inched closer, taking Jay's hand in hers and squeezing it reassuringly.

Ed and Edna returned a few minutes later. Jay looked up expectantly.

"He's in stable condition. Your dad and I are going to visit him after breakfast," Edna stated. She walked into the kitchen and pulled the cinnamon rolls from the oven with a still trembling hand.

"Did Aunt Suzzie say anything about how this happened?" Jay asked.

Edna shook her head, "She was too shaken up, and to be honest I'm not sure she'd necessarily want to tell. I think it's best that when we visit him that we don't ask too many questions and just be supportive."

"Oh," Jay sighed, "It's just frustrating. None of this makes any sense!"

"In time, I'm sure we'll have answers," Ed assured him.

Jay frowned, "Okay. Well, sorry to bother you this early in the morning. Nya and I should probably get back to the monastery..."

"Since you're here, why don't you stay for breakfast?" Edna suggested, "I made plenty of cinnamon rolls, and I know they're your favorite," she said in attempt to cheer Jay up.

"We'd love to, but we really have to get back. Sunrise exercise is today, and Master Wu will be angry if we're late. And believe me, Master Wu is scary when he's angry!"

"Okay, well, why don't you come back for dinner again tonight? We can fill you in then."

Jay and Nya had no sooner made it back to their bikes before Nya called Jay out, "Do you really think it's a good idea lying to your parents about this?"

"It's for a good reason. Come on, we need to hurry to the hospital if we wanna get out before they arrive!" Jay replied, putting his bike in gear.

"Your mom said it was best to not ask questions, so you're going to go behind her and ask questions?" Nya asked.

"What choice do I have? Somebody needs to figure out what's going on!" Jay shrugged.

"What if you're biting off more than you can chew?" Nya frowned, "You don't know how many members there are in this underground, do you?"

"Well, I have you with me, don't I?" Jay grinned, which only made Nya glare at him harder, if that was at all possible.

Nya sighed, "Reluctantly. Somebody needs to keep you from getting your butt kicked, and you're not acting rational right now!"

"And I love you too, sweetie," Jay smirked.

"Whatever," Nya rolled her eyes, reving her bike to life, "Let's get to this hospital!"

(Time skip)

"Aunt Suzzie?"

"Jay!" a teary eyed woman wearing her hair in the same fashion as Edna always did exclaimed, rising from the plasticy cushioned hospital chair, "Thank you for visiting. Your Uncle Al just woke up."

Jay hugged the older woman, "How's he doing?"

"He's a bit confused, he doesn't remember the attack at all!" Suzzie cried, "I knew we never should've gotten involved with the underground! Money was tight, but this wasn't worth it!"

"What?" Jay asked, he shot Nya a confused look, searching for support. She frowned and squeezed his hand.

"The underground. We may have sold a few high demand parts illegally when finances weren't steady. Your Uncle Poe told us about it, and it saved our business. We weren't proud of it, but what choice did we have?"

"Uncle Poe?"

"Goodness! I shouldn't be telling you this!" Suzzie gasped, "Go talk to your Uncle Al, but please, no more questions about the scrap trade!"

(Time skip)

Jay walked out of the hospital with Nya by his side, defeated. He had no answers, just more questions. Al's memory was beyond clouded, and he kept asking if the captain's fiancé got the pot. Only Jay couldn't figure out who the captain was or why his fiancé would need cooking wear from him.

Jay hopped on his bike and clicked on his helmet.

"So where to next?" Nya asked as she straddled her own bike.

"You're seriously going to keep looking into this with me?" Jay asked in surprise.

Nya shrugged, fitting her helmet over her head, "Well yeah, you're important to me, and this is important to you. So by the transitive property, this is also important to me."

Jay laughed, "That's so nerdy! I love you, Nya."

"Let's just leave before your parents get here and get mad at us for poking around! Does your Uncle Poe have any next of kin? Maybe we can get answers from them?"

"My Aunt Polly," Jay answered.

"Great, let's go there!"

(Time skip)

"Aunt Polly?" Jay shouted as he beat against the rv door, "Are you there?"

An old lady, still in her seersucker nightgown and slippers answered the door.

"Jay! Look how tall you've gotten," Polly exclaimed, planting big auntie kisses on his cheeks.

Jay rolled his eyes, and Nya snickered. By now she'd gotten used to how Jay's relatives and family friends fanned over him, and how much he seemed to hate it. Nya, on the other hand, found it, well, adorable to say the least.

But the attention on Jay didn't last long. Polly turned to the girl beside him and grinned, "Oh! And you must be Nya! Edna's told me so much about you!" she pulled Nya into a bear hug she definitely was not ready for.

"Aunt Polly, we have some questions for you. It's about Uncle Poe," Jay explained after all the pleasantries were complete, and Polly had welcomed them inside, "When we visited Uncle Al in the hospital this morning, Aunt Suzzie mentioned something about the underground..."

Polly sighed, "I suppose you want to know if we were connected? Here it is. Remember when I was diagnosed with breast cancer? Well, Al came to Poe and told him about a way to get extra money through the underground. We weren't proud of it, but we needed the money for my treatment."

"So Uncle Poe and Uncle Al worked together then?" Jay asked.

Polly frowned, "Yes."

"Did my parents know?"

"There were entire strings of scrap traders who were part of it, but no, you're parents didn't know," Polly answered, "They've always had too much respect for the trade, it would've crushed them."

"If you don't mind my asking, what is sold in the underground? Al was asking Jay's parents for a thingamawhatsit last night. Did he fail to deliver? Is that why he was attacked?" Nya pitched in.

"Goodness, no!" Polly replied, "Thingamawhatsits are worth a penny a dozen! It was likely Al was looking for something else and didn't want to admit it."

Jay's head began to spin, and he clenched his fists, "He tried to take advantage of my parents?"

"I'm sorry, Jay," Nya whispered, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"He was more likely looking for a high demand piece of equipment, a rare tool or something. I've even heard that people have been looking for a certain teapot for decades. The reward on that one is huge! Too bad no one's ever found it!"

Nya's face turned pale, "Jay, we need to go!"

"What? Why?"

"We just do!" Nya replied shakily. She turned towards the door and raced out of it. She climbed onto her bike and began driving. Jay shot Polly a confused look before chasing after her.

Once Nya had calmed enough, she slowed to a stop and shifted the bike out of gear.

"Nya?" Jay asked as he stopped behind her, "What was that about?"

Tears had formed in her eyes as she turned to face Jay, "I know what teapot she was talking about, Jay, and it brought back some not happy memories."

Jay pulled Nya into a hug, taking his turn being strong for her now, "He can't hurt us now..."

They stood there for a while as Nya brushed tears from her eyes, and Jay fought back any of his own from spilling.

"Jay? What was your final wish?" Nya finally asked, realizing for the first time that while she had ideas what it was, she'd never actually known. For some reason, she wanted to know now, and she couldn't explain quite why.

"I wished that you'd taken my hand, and that no one found that teapot in the first place," Jay answered.

Nya frowned, confused, "That's two wishes."

"What are you saying?"

"Well, obviously I took your hand, and that can't be undone, but what if someone actually found the teapot someday?" Nya explained.

It couldn't happen, could it? But Al had kept talking about the captain's fiancé and the pot she wanted. What if he meant Delara? But Delara was dead. But people might not know that and still be looking for it. Realization dawned over Jay. What if his wish had only delayed the release of Nadakhan again?

"We won't let that happen," Jay decided.

"Good," Nya sniffed, tightening her hug around him.

(Time skip)

They'd just finished dinner at Jay's parents'.

"Jay, will you go for a walk with me?" Ed asked.

They walked, talking mostly about plans for Jay and Nya's yin and yang ceremony. Ed told him tales of what his own was like, how terrified he was to ask Edna.

"Like father, like son," they laughed together.

They'd nearly returned to the scrap yard when Ed pulled Jay off to the side of the road, "Son, you need to know something. I know about what you did today. You need to be careful, you hear me?"

"Dad, we beat the Oni, surely we can deal with a few common crooks," Jay laughed.

Ed frowned, "They're more dangerous than would seem, just make sure you know what you're doing."

"Okay, Dad."

Pillows of grey clouded the night sky as the stench of something burning rolled through the air. Jay and Ed followed the trails of smoke with their eyes until they realized where it was coming from.

They raced back to the rv to find Edna sitting on a heap of old tires, coughing.

"Ma! Are you okay?"

"Edna!"

"I'm okay," she gagged, "Nya got me out. She told me to call the fire department."

"Nya! Where is she?" Jay asked in panicked, searching the premise for her.

Edna pointed a shaking hand towards the rv, "Putting out the fire."

"Nya!" Jay shouted as he ran towards the rv.

"Jay! Don't!" Ed called after him.

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed! Sorry for the cliff hanger, but honestly, if you know me, that's how just about every chapter is going to end until the story is finished. You're going to have to deal with it. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I'll have more up soon. See ya!**

**#God's Not Dead!**


	3. I met a girl in a parking lot

**Hey everyone! So this is my last update before I leave for college (and probably for a bit afterwards since I'll be busy). I'll post more eventually, but I can't say when, but hopefully I'll have time over breaks. Thanks to all of you for sticking through my inconsistency on here. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter!**

**indira21kh: I respectfully disagree, as there's plenty of science out there that proves the existence of God. I'd be happy to get into some other time if you're interested, otherwise I'll let you be. I'm not looking to start a fight, but I have to stand on my beliefs.**

**The Mayor Of Ninjago City: Definitely. That's the goal here. Who wants to read a story where nothing even happens? Thanks for the review.**

**ninjaturtlefinatic: Thanks! I'm glad someone appreciated their old married couple like conversation.**

**Creative Tales: Sorry, but this wouldn't be much of a story if nothing bad happened.**

**Endeavor16: Thanks so much! Your review was so sweet and definitely made my day! I'm glad you like the story and the yin-yang promise theory.**

"Nya!"

Jay flung open the door of the rv, sending smoke straight into his face. He gagged and pulled his hood over his face to protect himself from the smoke.

"Nya!"

He stepped inside into blackness. His eyes stung. He instantly felt disoriented, like he couldn't even take the three steps backward to reach the door. This was a borderline crazy idea.

A calloused set of hands grabbed his shoulders and yanked him back outside. He gasped for air as the moonlight blinded him. He let the hands drag him back away from the rv.

"Why in Ninjago would you do something so stupid? Did you even listen when your mother and I taught you not to run into a burning building?" Ed yelled.

"But, Nya..." Jay gasped. The sound of sirens drawing nearer echoed in his ears as he focused on Ed's face above him.

"Nya was outside! She had the rationale to get _out _of the fire!"

Jay looked around and found Nya sitting on a stack of tires close to Edna. She cradled an arm against her chest, rubbing at her stinging eyes. He staggered up and rushed towards her.

"Jay! Are you okay?" Nya asked, using the hand she wasn't favoring to get up, "Why'd you run into the burning trailer?"

"I thought... you..." Jay stuttered, "Your arm, What happened?"

Nya coughed, "It's burned. The fire, it wasn't usual, Jay."

"What do you mean?" Jay asked as he took Nya's hand and examined it. The skin had blistered and looked, well, not pleasant, but she would heal. Jay felt a wave of relief wash over him, knowing Nya was going to be okay.

But the first responders were there before she could answer. In a whirl, they were separated, all of them being asked questions in investigation of what happened. Jay didn't know what to say. He had no idea how it started, and he was kinda dazed, in a sort of disbelief that his childhood home was... gone.

Finally Jay caught a break and found Nya and his mother seated on the back rim of an ambulance, each with an oxygen mask over their faces.

"It's just a precaution," Edna assured him, "Since we were in there when the fire started."

Nya's arm was wrapped up in gauze, which in typical Nya fashion, she was already scratching at in annoyance.

Jay sat in between the two of them, "Where's Dad?"

"He's talking to one of the police still," Nya replied.

"Okay."

Nya wrapped the fleece blanket she'd been given around herself and Jay, "What are we supposed to do now?"

"I don't know."

In that moment, it seemed to have dawned on Jay that his parents had nowhere to go. Their home and everything in it was forever gone. He needed to ask Nya what she meant earlier. What about the fire wasn't usual? He desperately needed to get Nya alone and ask her.

(Time skip)

The remainder of the team waited as Jay and Nya, joined by Jay's parents returned to the monastery, bringing the scent of smoke with them.

"We made up the guest bed for you," Zane informed them, "I'm guessing you'll want to shower. The bathroom is on the right, and we pulled out extra toothbrushes and pajamas. I'm so sorry about what happened. I hope this helps."

The next few moments were filled with tear filled hugs, as the entire team took turns hugging Ed and Edna. They were remembering the number of times their homes had been destroyed and how they'd never wanted anyone to experience that feeling.

(Time skip)

It was quiet. The ninja sat around the game room. Nya and Jay, finally showered and no longer covered in soot, collapsed wearily onto the couch.

"By the way, this came for you today," Cole said, chucking a yellow envelope across the room at Jay.

He looked down to see just his first name scrawled in thick cursive across the entirety of the front. No stamp or postage marks graced its face, not even an address. Just his name. Jay raised a confused eyebrow.

"Weird, right?" Kai shrugged, "A bird literally dropped it out of the sky into the courtyard."

Jay ignored him and tore open the flap. He unfolded the paper, and a symbol, stamped across the top, in the same moment, sent chills down Jay's spine and confirmed that Nya's prediction earlier that day would turn out correct.

Nya watched as Jay's face warped from confusion to worry the more he read. After he finished, he silently slipped the letter into Nya's hands and looked at her expectantly, hoping she could make sense of what he'd read.

Nya unfolded the letter and began reading.

_Jay,_

_It has come to my attention that you and your yang have been poking your heads into the underground scrap trade business, specifically around a particular item I've been trying to get my hands on for over two decades now. It would be in your friends' best interests if you two would kindly show up at two in the morning at Laughy's to discuss this more. And don't tell your friends about this exchange if you want to keep them safe. Look for the woman in an orange sweatshirt. Oh, and I've heard about the fire at your parents' place. Such a tragedy. I'm deeply sorry._

"Well, what are we gonna do?" Jay asked in a whisper, so that the others - already getting up and heading to their bedrooms - wouldn't hear.

Nya sighed, "I don't think we have a choice. It's twelve thirty right now. Let's just drink some caffeine and go to Laughy's."

"I don't like this," Jay frowned, "What did I get us into?"

Thoughts of Nadakhan returning filled both their heads. It was safe to say they were in way too deep.

Nya shivered, "This is a total Catch 22. Either we don't show and put the team in danger, or we assist in helping release Nadakhan again."

"This stinks!" Jay decided, heading to the kitchen to turn on the coffee pot.

(Time skip)

Dareth was asleep at the bar when Jay and Nya entered Laughy's. Most of the lights were dimmed, and only one other person remained in the building. She sat at a back table with her feet propped up, a drink in hand, and her hood pulled over so that they couldn't see her face.

"There she is," Jay nudged Nya, pointing to the woman, "Umm, whoever she is."

They sat down across from her, and the woman pulled her feet off the table and slammed her drink down, "Well, if it isn't the couple looking into things that shouldn't be looked into..."

"I'm sorry... you are?" Nya interrupted.

She pulled down her hood and straightened her posture, "I'm Qadira, and I need your help. Let me explain. My mother was the fiancé of a powerful pirate and djinn, Nadakhan."

"Yeah, we know him," Jay stated, clenching his fist.

Nya put a hand on his shoulder, "Hear her out," she whispered.

"I never met my father, and I have reason to believe it's him. Since you two seem to be the only ones who know where the teapot of Tyrann was last found, I want you to find it for me again."

"How do you..." Nya started before Qadira stopped her.

"You're not the only ones who remembers the alternative timeline. Better avoid tiger widow venom this time, I've heard it's fatal," Qadira smirked, holding up a tiny vial, "You fail to do what I ask, I'll shoot this at your friends. I can do a lot worse than just setting fires."

"No," Nya gasped, putting a hand to her chest where the poison had hit her before.

Jay slammed his hands against the table, "You monster! My parents have no home because of you! Besides, Nadakhan isn't as great as you think he is."

"I wouldn't know since your wish revered time and meant I never got my chance to meet him," Qadira shrugged.

"He won't want to meet you," Nya insisted, "He never loved your mom, only the idea that marrying her would give him infinite wishes."

"Find the teapot!" Qadira persisted anyway, "You have three days... that should give you plenty of time before your frilly yin-yang promise celebration... or else I will use the venom on your friends." Qadira turned away to leave.

"What if Nadakhan isn't even your father?" Jay asked.

Qadira shrugged, "Then I'm still in the presence of a djinn and can wish to meet my father."

"This isn't good," Jay frowned when Qadira left, "What do we do?"

"Well, we need to get the others somewhere Qadira can't find them, then we need to find the teapot. After that, we should destroy it."

Jay nodded, but deep down, they both knew it wasn't going to be that simple.

** I hope you all enjoyed this one. Fun fact for those of you who are curious: Qadira is Arabic for one who has the power. Now that you all have met my antagonist for this story, I'm sure you can tell by her blackmailing and overall manipulative nature, that she does indeed have the power. That is obviously my reason for choosing her name.**

**Thanks for reading. I'll have more up when my college workload permits. For now, God bless, and I'll see you all later!**

**#God's Not Dead!**


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